Chapter 76
Chapter 76
ARIA
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Ivory’s blush deepened, but I caught the small smile tugging at her lips. “Fine. Maybe I’ll read one. For medicinal purposes. To help with the boredom of recovery p>
“Of course,” Nina agreed solemnly. “Purely medicinal p>
It was perhaps the most normal interaction I’d seen since Ivory woke up-a glimpse of who she’d been before the attack, before the memory loss. It made something in my chest ache, seeing that warmth directed at Nina when I only received cold dismissal.
More visitors came and went. The afternoon stretched into evening. And then, just as Eliza was suggesting that perhaps Ivory needed rest and visitors should come back tomorrow, there was a knock on the clinic door.
“Come in,” Eliza called out.
The door opened to reveal a young man-maybe in his early twenties-carrying a small girl of about six on his hip. I recognized the girl immediately as Lia, one of the pups Ivory had saved. But the man carrying her I didn’t know.
He was tall, well-built in the way warriors usually were, with dark hair that fell across his forehead and warm brown eyes. And he was shirtless, his torso still gleaming with sweat like he’d come straight from training, every muscle defined and on display.
“I’m sorry to intrude,” he said, his voice deep and pleasant. “I know there have been a lot of visitors. But Lia hasn’t stopped asking about Ivory since she woke up, and I wanted to bring her by to say thank you. I’m Jason. This is my sister p>
“Jason,” Kael greeted him with a nod. “Of course. Come in p>
Jason moved to Ivory’s bedside, Lia squirming in his arms. He set her down gently, and the little girl immediately climbed onto the edge of Ivory’s bed, her small face solemn.
“Thank you,” Lia said in her high, sweet voice. “Thank you for saving me and Ben and Marcus. The bad wolves were so scary but you kept us safe p>
Ivory’s expression softened in a way I hadn’t seen since she’d woken up. “Hello, little one. I’m glad you’re safe. That’s the most important thing p>
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Chapter 76
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“Does your head hurt?” Lia asked, reaching out to very gently touch the bandage wrapped around Ivory’s skull. “Nina said the bad wolves hurt your head p>
“It does hurt a bit,” Ivory admitted. “But I’m getting better. And seeing you safe and happy makes it hurt less p>
Jason had been watching this exchange with obvious emotion. When Lia finished her thanks and climbed back down, he stepped closer to Ivory’s bed.
“I can’t thank you enough,” he said, his voice thick. “Lia is… she’s everything to me. We lost our parents in a rogue attack years ago. I’ve been raising her since she was a baby, since she was barely crawling. She’s all I have left. And you saved her. You put yourself in danger to protect her. I can never repay that debt p>
“You don’t need to,” Ivory said, but I noticed her gaze had drifted from his face to his chest, lingering on the defined muscles there before quickly darting away. “I was just doing my job as a pack member. Any of us would have done the same p>
“Not everyone would have,” Jason said seriously. “Not everyone would have covered three pups with their own body and refused to move even when they were being attacked. That’s not just doing your job. That’s heroism p>
He turned then, reaching for something behind him. “Here, let me get you some water. You must be thirsty with all these visitors p>
As Jason turned, presenting his back to Ivory, I watched her eyes widen. She attempted to lean to the side, clearly trying to get a better view of his backside, when Nina’s hand shot out and smacked her arm.
Ivory’s head whipped toward Nina, glaring at her cousin, but she immediately schooled her expression into something neutral when Jason turned back around, cup of water in hand.
“Thank you,” Ivory said, taking the water from him with a smile that was perhaps a touch brighter than necessary. Her fingers brushed his as she accepted the cup, and I saw her breath catch slightly.
She drank slowly, her eyes tracking Jason’s movements as he picked Lia back up, settling her on his hip with practiced ease.
“We should go,” Jason said. “Let you rest. But if you need anything-anything at all—please let me know. I owe you everything p>
“Just keep Lia safe,” Ivory said softly. “That’s all the
Jason nodded, flashing a smile that was probably ht I need p>
to be grateful but came across as
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Chapter 76
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slightly devastating. Then he and Lia left, the little girl waving enthusiastically over her brother’s shoulder.
The door had barely closed before Ivory turned to Nina, her eyes bright despite her exhaustion.
“Nina,” she said, her voice dropping to an excited whisper despite the fact that Kael and I were still clearly present. “Jason is so a looker. Did you see those abs? Those arms? The way he carries his sister like she weighs nothing? And his p>
“Ivory,” Nina interrupted, fighting a smile. “You need to focus on healing, not fantasizing about shirtless men p>
“I’m injured, not dead,” Ivory protested. “And you can’t expect me not to appreciate what’s right in front of me. Those muscles didn’t build themselves p>
“You’re impossible,” Nina said, but she was laughing now, the tension of the past breaking.
week finally
I felt Kael’s surprise through our bond-this playful, openly appreciative side of Ivory was apparently something he didn’t often see. Or maybe something he’d never noticed before.
Ivory caught herself then, seeming to remember that she had an audience beyond just Nina. Her gaze moved to Kael, then to me, and something shuttered in her expression.
“I’m sorry,” she said stiffly. “That was inappropriate. I shouldn’t be speaking about pack members so crudely in front of the Alpha and Luna p>
“It’s fine,” Kael said, though he looked slightly uncomfortable. “You’re recovering. You’re allowed to be yourself p>
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Mark